My Secret-for-Success Book

I am willing to bet on this one. I have been reading this book for months now, and I encountered varying degrees of success in whatever I do.

For weeks now, most people observed a change in the way I do things. Some have observed me being able to anticipate what would happen, and I am not talking about clairvoyance here. It's just I knew most of the possibilities that some people (that I will not mention) could not see. They found themselves wondering how I knew about those things, thinking that maybe I had inside information. They started to accuse me of being the favored one. They started wondering, saw a pattern, and thought that that was it, my secret how I came to know in advance.

Well, this entry is about clarifying those wrong perceptions that they have. They have been right in one thing that I was able to anticipate some things in advance. But this knowledge did not come from me, and in this entry I want to share this secret.

I have been reading a book repeatedly for months now. This book has 31 chapters, and I read a chapter a day, representing that day of the month. (Or doing some compensating on those months that do not reach the 31th day.) This book has the following purposes for its inception:

1. To receive wisdom and instruction;
2. To receive teaching in wise dealing, righteousness, justice and equity;
3. To help the simple gain prudence and the youth gain knowledge and discretion;
4. To increase learning and to acquire skill in understanding;
5. To understand parables, proverbs, wise sayings, and riddles;
6. To provide skill for (successful) living from the two perimeters of natural order and God's word;
7. To enable its readers to learn and apply the fear of the Lord to their lives; and
   
8. To learn the fear of the Lord itself
   

So what was that book? First, let me indulge you on these verses* from the Bible:

"Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,

to help them understand the insights of the wise.
Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young."

These lines are the introductory words of the book called the Book of Proverbs. Of course, being part of the Bible, this is actually a book in itself among all other books.

So now my secret is that as I do my daily devotions every morning, which included reading the Proverbs, I would ask God for His daily Bread. And wherever I will be whatever I will be doing, I would ask God for His wisdom to guide me. You don't have to see me clutching my hands in a praying position. Believe me last week, I surprised myself that there was an announcement (that I will not say) I anticipated would happen. The surprise was that I found myself being on the head start without anyone telling me clues that this would happen.

Well, except that I prayed for His guidance and leading in my life.

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* Proverbs 1:2-3. English translation used was New Living Translation 2nd edition.